As for global warming’s impact on media stupidity, that science is settled. Don’t ask them to actually discuss the methodology, it’s far too complicatedy. But they saw a survey and a letter signed by scientists! Which scientists? That’s not important right now. What’s important is that we throw few virgins into the volcano to appease Klaima-Changa, angry summoner of Sky Doom. Act fast, because we only have 5 years before it’s too late! (just like 10 years ago.)

As someone who has actually produced a serious layperson’s explanation of “hockey stick” climate modeling (this blog post is used as course material in a graduate unit on climate modeling in UCLA’s Department of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences), I believe Americans deserve a basic understanding of those models – and the serious critiques thereof. The math is not all that complicated, and accessible to anyone with a PC and a decent undergraduate education.